Interestingly, Aston Villa's Belgium striker Christian Benteke is ranked 29th - a place ahead of Radamel Falcao, the Colombia striker who has just joined Monaco in a £50 million deal.

Bill Squadron, president of Bloomberg Sports, said: "We continue to look at new ways to use analytics that will be interesting to fans, and are pleased today to unveil what we believe will be a game-changer in the way professional football is looked at in the future.

"Analytics is becoming more and more prevalent in both the minds of the fans and in the decision-making power of the clubs, and we are confident this index will help both stir healthy debate and be a great measuring stick for player evaluation going forward."